MONTREAL — Federal officials scrambled behind closed doors in January over the safety of the crumbling Champlain Bridge, concerned about “alarming” language in a structural analysis that they hoped to keep secret.

The federal agency that operates the Montreal bridge acknowledged in a meeting at the time that a partial bridge collapse was a possibility, though it was “confident the bridge could be closed to the public before becoming unsafe for users.”

And the federal government knew then that the bridge would have to be replaced yet waited until October to decide it would build a new span.

Those are among the disclosures in secret Transport Canada briefing notes obtained by researcher Ken Rubin via an access-to-information request.

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The notes, dated Jan. 19, 2011, were prepared by Transport Canada to brief Rob Merrifield (minister of state for transport at the time) about a Champlain “structural health assessment” study.

That study, conducted by the engineering firm Delcan, was dated Dec. 15, 2010.

“Some of the language used in the (Delcan) report to describe the current condition of the bridge could be alarming,” the briefing notes state.

Among other things, Delcan found there was a “risk of partial collapse of the bridge, or the collapse of a span.”

The briefing notes indicate “there is no plan to publicly release the Delcan study and/or its conclusions.” But, the notes continue, “leaks are always possible and it is expected that such leaks would generate regional and local media attention.”

The briefing notes suggest Transport Canada should prepare a “responsive communications approach” in case the Delcan report was leaked to the media.

The Quebec newspaper La Presse obtained the report and published excerpts on March 17.

A day later, Conservative Sen. Larry Smith announced Ottawa would spend an extra $158 million fixing the Champlain. “Federally owned Montreal bridges are currently safe,” Smith said at the time.

About 60 million vehicles cross the 49-year-old Champlain annually, making it Canada’s busiest bridge.

Though some of Delcan’s words were deemed potentially alarming, the Transport Canada document notes that despite “significant signs of deterioration, the current repairs are improving the safety of the bridge and will keep the bridge safe in the short-term.”

Still, Transport Canada officials “had concerns with the specific terminology” used in the Delcan report.

That led to a Jan. 6, 2011, meeting between officials at Transport Canada and the federal Jacques Cartier and Champlain Bridges Inc. (JCCBI) to “obtain a common understanding of statements presented in the Delcan report.”

Two of Delcan’s points were of particular concern to Transport Canada, the briefing notes indicate: the bridge is in “very poor condition,” Delcan had found, noting deterioration is expected to continue and “extreme vigilance” is required.

In the Jan. 6 meeting, JCCBI said it was aware of the severity of the deterioration and continued “to closely monitor the situation through annual independent inspections,” the briefing notes state.

A potential partial collapse of the bridge was also highlighted by Delcan.

The briefing notes indicate that at the Jan. 6 meeting, “JCCBI confirmed that a partial collapse is always a remote possibility, however, if one were to occur it is unlikely to happen suddenly.

“There would be prior signs or indications in the event of a possible failure and JCCBI is confident the bridge could be closed to the public before becoming unsafe for users.

“Highly sensitive instrumentation is installed on the bridge to quickly identify and monitor any variations to the structure.

“Furthermore, the risk of failure is further reduced as the repair program progresses.”

The Jan. 19, 2011, briefing notes point out that Delcan “recommends the replacement of the existing bridge with a new bridge.”

The report also recommends an expedited process for the bridge replacement be implemented as soon as possible. The rehabilitation of the existing bridge for the long-term is not a viable option.

Until recently, federal officials have insisted that Ottawa was not sure whether a new bridge was needed or if the current one could be repaired for the long-term.

“All options are on the table,” Prime Minister Stephen Harper said when asked about the Champlain in a televised leaders debate in April, during the spring federal election campaign.

In July, after the report had already been leaked, federal Transport Minister Denis Lebel caused an uproar by saying he would not make public studies about the Champlain for fear of causing unnecessary panic.

Lebel told reporters: “When you make public information that is processed by people who are not necessarily knowledgeable about the subject, it can create worries that I do not want to create.”

It was unclear to which studies Lebel was referring.

On Oct. 5, Lebel announced Ottawa will build a new bridge at a cost of between $3 billion and $5 billion. It will not be ready for about 10 years.